Implantable Electrical Stimulation Therapy for Treating Scoliosis
Some scientists believe that in many people scoliosis develops because of the unequal pressure that muscles on the sides of the spinal column tend to exert. While strong muscle contractions occur on one side, since the other does not provide an equal pull, the spine bends over time in one direction. The thinking goes that the underlying cause of this mismatch seems to be poor nerve connectivity that results in attenuated signals reaching the muscles. A team of European researchers has developed a special implant designed to actively stimulate muscles near the spinal column to train the weak side to catch up with the strong one. It features wireless charging and data transmission, as well as the ability to program it for individual patient needs.
The implant has a set of electrodes leading to muscles on the weak side of the spine, as well as a few that are snaked to the healthy side to compare the activity. After implantation it’s used on a regular basis with patients undergoing stimulated contraction for up to ten seconds followed by ten minutes to let the body adjust. This is to be done for hours at a time, though there are no clinical trials that have confirmed this therapy or how to use it properly. Nevertheless, the technology may be a new way of treating scoliosis at an earl stage in a large percentage of the population with the condition.
Source: Fraunhofer…
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